Honor And Glory (1992) - A Review

 

Classic cover to a not so classic movie.

Honor And Glory is a martial arts action movie released in the United States in 1992 and stars Cynthia Rothrock, Donna Jason, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, John Miller, Yip Kim Hing, Richard Yuen, Gerald Klein, and Tai Yim. It was directed by Godfrey Ho (credited in this movie as Godfrey Hall), with fight choreography by Tai Yim.

Cynthia Rothrock (left, as Tracey Pride) and Donna Jason (right, as Joyce Pride) play sisters who kick butt!

In Honor And Glory, Cynthia Rothrock plays Tracey Pride, an FBI agent on the trail of a stolen nuclear warhead detonator with her partner Dragon Lee (played by Robin Shou). Her mission brings her back to America, where she meets up with her sister Joyce Pride (played by Donna Jason). Joyce is a TV news reporter investigating the illegal dealings of the super wealthy banker and businessman, Jason Slade (played by John Miller). Since Jason is being hounded by Joyce and assassins, he has a security group protecting him, lead by Jake Armstrong (played by Chuck Jeffreys), the top bodyguard in the game.

Joyce shows her news report to Tracey, and Jason Slade gets on Tracey's radar. Though Tracey and Joyce get along, Joyce does not get along with her father, CIA agent John Pride (played by Leo Rocca). Jason Slade ends up with the nuclear warhead detonator, and wants to sell it to the highest bidder. Joyce's fellow kung fu school classmate Mickey (played by Yip Yim Hing) investigates strange goings on at a warehouse and gets video evidence of Jason Slade's illegal activities. Jake Armstrong starts questioning whether Jason Slade is a criminal or not and begins to help Joyce in her investigation. Things boil to a head when Jason Slade kidnaps the Pride sisters' father, and Tracey, Joyce, Dragon, and Jake team up to finally stop him...

John Miller, as Jason Slade, plays one of the biggest jerks you've ever seen in a movie!

Honor And Glory is one of those movies I watched only once on TV (cable channel TNT) late at night in the 90s, and never saw it again after that. I thought this movie was amazing back then! I had been searching for it for years (though my local video rental place had it; I didn't realize it was the same movie until after it closed down). I finally found it again on the free streaming sites Tubi and Pluto TV, and I finally watched it again recently! Was this movie as great as I remembered it?

Unfortunately, it is not! With Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, Donna Jason, and John Miller starring, you expect this to be filled with awesome fight scenes. The fight scenes are not that great or plentiful. Most of the focus is on the Pride sisters' and their pursuit of Jason Slade, and on their relationship. Basically, this is a very American martial arts movie. At least the fight scenes are Hong Kong style, but as said before, there aren't that many fights and they're short.   

The acting is not good. The best actors are Donna Jason and Chuck Jeffreys, and they really have good chemistry in their scenes. Cynthia Rothrock is okay in her scenes, but the things she says are so unnatural (as in, no real person would say what she says). Though this movie is billed as a Cynthia Rothrock movie, she is actually not in it that much. It is more of an ensemble movie (and Donna Jason's Joyce Pride seems to be the main character). John Miller as Jason Slade is one evil bastard! He is way over the top, and it makes you wonder why anybody would work for him with how terribly he treats his employees/co-workers.

Honor And Glory has some decent fight scenes.

What you're most probably interested in is, is how are the fight scenes in Honor And Glory? They are...okay. Though this movie was made in America in the early 90s, the fight scenes were choreographed in the Hong Kong style. Unfortunately, there are not that many fight scenes; and the fight scenes there are, are slow and short. Every character gets to show off their skill in a fight scene, including the main bad guy. Donna Jason is an excellent fighter as well, it's too bad she wasn't in more martial arts movies back then. We get all this build up to the final showdown, and it ends so disappointingly. Every character is in a fight at the same time, but instead of focusing on one fight at a time, the movie cuts between every fight every few minutes. We at least get to see Cynthia Rothrock do her patented scorpion kick. We see Robin Shou and Chuck Jeffreys do some cool stuff as well. The way Jason Slade is defeated is quite the disappointment. It could've been awesome, but they went with a totally American movie type of way to "defeat" him. Every martial artist is capable in this movie, but the choreography and editing let them down.

So, should you watch Honor And Glory? I would have to say no. If you want to watch a "cheesy" American action movie from the 90s, or need to watch every Cynthia Rothrock movie, then go ahead; you may like it! The director of this movie, Godfrey Ho, is infamous for making terrible movies (usually involving ninjas or kickboxers), so I shouldn't be surprised at its mediocrity. If you can believe it, Honor And Glory is considered one of his better movies. Cynthia Rothrock deserved so much better in America.

Reviewed by David Williams

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987) - A Review

 

The unexpected sequel to a martial arts classic. It goes in a very different direction!

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (also known as No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder and Karate Tiger 2) is an American/Hong Kong martial arts action movie released in 1987. It stars Loren Avedon, Cynthia Rothrock, Max Thayer, Matthias Hues, and Hwang Jang-Lee. No Retreat, No Surrender 2 was directed by Corey Yuen Kwai, with martial arts choreography also by Yuen, and assisted by Mang Hoi, King Lee King-Chu, and Ma Chin-Ku.

Loren Avedon as Scott Wylde. Loren really kicks butt in this movie!

In No Retreat, No Surrender 2, Loren Avedon plays Scott Wylde, an American martial artist who goes to Vietnam to visit his fiancee Sulin (played by Patra Wanthivamod). Sulin comes from a wealthy family, and her father was involved in a war conflict. The night of their date, Sulin is kidnapped, and Scott finds out that he's been framed for her entire family's (except her father's) murders! He escapes custody and finds his friend and master  Mac Jarvis (played by Max Thayer), a Vietnam veteran and arms dealer. Together with his helicopter pilot Terry (played by Cynthia Rothrock), they go to Cambodia where Sulin is being held by Yuri (played by Matthias Hues), a Soviet General who leads an army of Vietnamese soldiers.

Cynthia Rothrock (as Terry) giving Matthias Hughes (Yuri) a piece of her mind!

As you could probably tell by the plot description, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 is a sequel in name only to the first movie. Kurt McKinney and Jean-Claude Van Damme were supposed to star in this, but Van Damme was concerned about the safety of filming in the Cambodian jungle. He persuaded McKinney to drop out of the movie as well. Schedules never lined up for McKinney and the filming, so he left the project. Loren Avedon was then hired to take on the lead role, and the script was changed accordingly (though it is said that this was originally supposed to be a totally different movie not related to the first No Retreat, No Surrender).

Whereas the first movie was like The Karate Kid or Rocky IV, this movie is more like Rambo or the Missing In Action movies. There is a lot of of military combat in this, in addition to the martial arts fight scenes. Loren Avedon does well in his debut film. His acting gets better as the movie goes on (though there is a lot of awkward dialogue he has to say), but his fight scenes are top-notch. He is a really underrated martial arts movie star. I called him the 'Caucasian Jackie Chan' back in the day. Cynthia Rothrock is also great in this; she gets a lot of dialogue and she gets to show how much of a butt kicker she is. Max Thayer as Mac Jarvis is great in this; best actor in the movie and he's pretty funny. Matthias Hues is properly menacing as the final boss, and you really hate him for the jerk he is! The story is kind of basic, but hey, we're here for the action, aren't we?

The fights in this are fast and hard-hitting!

The fight scenes in No Retreat, No Surrender 2 are the best thing about this movie. Then again, if you enjoy military combat, gunplay, and explosions, you'll be greatly satisfied. The action is a bit more violent than in the first movie, but it isn't graphically gory. Loren Avedon has some great fight scenes; the kidnapping scene is our first introduction to his prowess. A fight at the temple is also great! His final fight scene against Yuri is awesome as well. Yuri is a powerful monster, and Scott has to use everything he has to defeat him. Cynthia Rothrock has a fight against the legendary Korean superkicker, Hwang Jang-Lee. Though the fight is pretty short, it is awesome. Matthias Hues does well as the powerful Yuri, even though he is not a trained martial artist. That's the greatness of Hong Kong choreography back then, they make non-martial artists look credible without editing and camera tricks.

So, should you watch No Retreat, No Surrender 2? I would say, yes. It has the debut of the great, underappreciated Loren Avedon, it has Cynthia Rothrock kicking butt, it has crazy Hong Kong martial arts fight choreography, and it has lots of guns and explosions. It has something for everyone! Just remember, this movie has nothing to do with the first No Retreat, No Surrender. As an aside, it was nice to see this movie again after not having seen it since the late 1990s. It's better than I remembered!

Reviewed by David Williams

Yes, Madam! (1985) - A Review

 

The movie that started the 'Girls With Guns' genre in Hong Kong!

 

Yes, Madam! is an action/martial arts comedy film released in Hong Kong in 1985 (a big year in Hong Kong cinema). It stars Michelle Yeoh (known as Michelle Khan at this time), Cynthia Rothrock, John Shum, Mang Hoi, Tsui Hark (yes, the Tsui Hark), James Tien, Dick Wei, Chung Fat, and Melvin Wong. Yes, Madam! was directed by Corey Yuen, with the martial  arts directed also by Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi.

Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock about to show why they are the best.

In Yes, Madam!, Michelle Yeoh plays Senior Inspector Ng, a tough, no nonsense cop in the Royal Hong Kong Police force. At the start of the movie, Inspector Ng deals with a flasher and then an armored car theft. Later that night, an illicit deal is being made in a hotel room between a foreigner and a shady man named Willie (played by Dick Wei). The deal goes wrong, and Willie kills the foreigner. After Willie leaves, two thieves disguised as waitstaff, Aspirin (played by Mang Hoi) and Strepsil (played by John Shum) go into the room to steal the dead man's valuables, not knowing the man was just murdered.

That same night, Ng had plans to visit her friend that was vacationing in Hong Kong for the week. She arrives at the hotel room, and it is the same man that was murdered! She runs out of the room to search for the murderer, and suspects the murderer was someone disguised as a waiter or waitress. She asks for all waitstaff to stay where they are. This allows Willie to escape, right in front of her.

At the police station, Ng finds out her friend Richard Nornen was working undercover, and he had microfilm of documents that proved that happy-go-lucky business man Henry Tin (played by James Tien in one of his most obnoxious roles ever, you just want him to get arrested...or worse) was involved in illegal activities (Henry Tin is getting ready to launch distributing opium into his business plans). Of course, Aspirin and Strepsil unwittingly give the microfilm (hidden in an ID card) to their friend Panadol (played by Tsui Hark), who then sells it to a shady guy going out of town. The police learn of this and plan to catch the guy at the airport, and this is where Carrie Morris (played by Cynthia Rothrock) arrives to help with the case. 

From left: Chung Fat, James Tien, and Dick Wei as the dastardly villains.

Ng and Carrie (who is a detective working for Scotland Yard) don't get along too well at first; they are on the same page, they just have different ways of dealing with suspects. One thing leads to another, and Strepsil and Aspirin try to blackmail Henry Tin into paying them for the microfilm. Things go very bad, and Inspector Ng, Carrie Morris, and Strepsil, go to Tin's mansion to make a trade for the microfilm. As you can imagine, an epic fight ensues, and justice is served...just not in the way you would expect.

Yes, Madam! was the movie that started the 'Girls With Guns' trend in Hong Kong after it released. This movie was also Michelle Yeoh's and Cynthia Rothrock's first starring roles. This is a classic Hong Kong action movie that everyone should see. To think, this movie released one month before Jackie Chan's Police Story. Hong Kong was just swimming in classic action movies in 1985!

Even though Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock are the stars of the movie, a lot of the focus is on the three petty crooks (played by John Shum, Mang Hoi, and Tsui Hark). These three characters argue a lot, and they are mostly comedic. Mang Hoi did win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Aspirin in this movie, so people enjoyed what they saw of these characters. It is also amazing to see legendary movie director Tsui Hark in this movie! His portrayal of Panadol is quirky, funny, and weird. Conversely a lot of the more recent reviews find them annoying, but also mistakenly call this a buddy cop movie. Inspector Ng and Carrie Morris are colleagues in this movie, not buddies. Ng is a bit more calm and reasonable when dealing with suspects, while Carrie beats the crap out of them to get the info she needs! They are on the same page, but go about doing things in their own way. Also, a lot of reviewers say Rothrock gives a poor acting performance in this movie, but you have to understand; this was Cynthia Rothrock's first acting role ever, and it wasn't even in a language she knew how to speak. A lot of reviewers are also unsatisfied with the ending, but it is totally fitting. To talk about it, I would have to spoil it. 

Cynthia Rothrock showing a criminal how it's done! This movie has some incredible fights and stunts!

The action in Yes, Madam! is top notch! Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi outdid themselves with the choreography and stunts in this one! In Michelle Yeoh's introductory action scene, she has to chase after some armored truck thieves and get into a shoot out with them. She shows no fear as she stops the crooks in pretty brutal fashion. In Cynthia Rothrock's introductory scene, she fights off a criminal who tries to take her hostage, showing off her impressive kicks to boot. She shows she can handle herself in a tough situation. Yeoh and Rothrock fight Dick Wei in a restroom, and that is a hard-hitting fight. The choreography is on-point for this scene. The final fight takes place in a glass-filled mansion, and this is where everyone goes all out! Yeoh and Rothrock fight off henchmen first, and these henchmen take some of the most brutal, violent, and painful falls ever put on film! Then, Yeoh and Rothrock take on Henry Tin's enforcers (played by Dick Wei and Chung Fat). These fights are hard-hitting and intricate as well. Maybe a little too hard-hitting, as Dick Wei was not really holding back and injured Cynthia Rothrock in the filming of their fight scene (she went to the hospital and finished the scene anyway). This final fight scene has to be seen to be believed! One of the best fights in Hong Kong cinema, and Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock more than held their own in these fights.

Since Yes, Madam! is not only a classic Hong Kong action movie, but also a classic action movie in general, you have to see it. Yes, there is comedy in this otherwise serious movie, but that is just the Hong Kong style of the time. Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock show why they are the best female action stars ever, and why everyone else pales in comparison to them. It has an awesome end fight that must be seen. Watch this movie. NOW.

 

The DVD I watched for this review. I special ordered it from Tai Seng back in the day.

 

The back cover of the DVD case.

The DVD disc. It was tough to get a picture of this, as the disc is reflective. Just know that the title and Michelle Yeoh striking a tough pose is on the disc!

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

China O'Brien Revisited: An Action Movie Review By JoBlo . com

 Here is a video review covering China O'Brien, a classic American martial arts movie starring the legendary Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, and Keith Cooke Hayabusa. I remember not liking this movie that much when I first watched it back in the day. After seeing Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton really showing their skills in Hong Kong movies, the fight choreography in China O'Brien was underwhelming to me. Still, it is an American movie that portrayed a woman as a tough, smart, hero in the main character role. I need to watch this movie again, it's been decades since I last saw it. Hopefully it's on Blu-ray...

 

 

JoBlo's YouTube channel 

 

Ebola Syndrome 4K UHD Blu-Ray (and other new Blu-Ray releases) By Vinegar Syndrome - Hong Kong Cinema Appreciation Society Video

Ebola Syndrome has been released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray by Vinegar Syndrome! This is a rather infamous Category III horror film from Hong Kong. I am not a horror film fan, but I have to get this release! I want to watch it at least once, and I think it would be a nice Blu-Ray to have in my collection.

Other Blu-Rays recently released by Vinegar Syndrome is the Tiger Claws series, starring Cynthia Rothrock & Bolo Yeung! I am a huge Cynthia Rothrock fan, so I have to get those as well!

Here is a video by Hong Kong Cinema Appreciation Society with all the details! 

(I had nothing to do with the creation of this video)

 

 

Hong Kong Cinema Appreciation Society